LITTLE GADDESDEN. 327 



etc., for about cleanliness they are very careful, and 

 especially in these things, to wash clothes, and to hem 

 one thing and another minutely. 



They never take the trouble to bake, because there is 

 a baker in every parish or village, from whom they can 

 always have new bread. Nearly the same can be said about 

 brewing. Weaving and spinning is also in most houses 

 a more than rare thing, because their many manufacturers 

 save them from the necessity of such. For [T. I. p. 324] 

 the rest, it belongs to the men to tend the cattle, milk 

 the cows, and to perform all the work in the arable fields 

 and meadows, and in the ' lodge ' and ' lathe,' &c. I con- 

 fess that I at first rubbed my eyes several times to make 

 them clear, because I could not believe I saw aright, 

 when I first came here, out in the country, and saw 

 the farmers' houses full of young women, while the men, 

 on the contrary, went out both morning and evening to 

 where the cattle were, milk-pail in hand, sat down to milk, 

 and afterwards carried the milk home. I had found, 

 then, that every land has its customs. In short, when one 

 enters a house and has seen the women cooking, washing 

 floors, plates and dishes, darning a stocking or sewing a 

 chemise, washing and starching linen clothes, he has, in 

 fact, seen all their household economy and all that they 

 do the whole of God's long day, year out and year in, 

 when to these are added some visitors. Nearly all the 

 evening occupations which our women in Sweden perform 

 are neglected by them, but, instead, here they sit round 

 the fire without attempting in the very least degree what 

 we call ImsMlls-syslor, household duties. But they 

 can never be deprived of the credit of being very hand- 

 some and very lively in society. In pleasant conversa- 

 tion, agreeable refiartie, polite sallies, in a word, in all 

 that the public calls belefvenhet, politesse and savoir 

 vivre, they are never wanting. 



